The search goes on for clues to Sian's death

SEARCHES will continue if the remote fields near Ramsbury for several days as police and the public wait on tenterhooks to see what more might be uncovered.

A full Major Investigation Team and a dedicated incident room are at lead investigator Detective Chief Inspector Sean Memory’s disposal, as Wiltshire Police commit to securing a conviction for Becky Godden-Edwards’ murder.

A total of 25 staff are working regularly out of Marlborough Police Station on the inquiry, revolving around the death of the 20-year-old around the end of 2002 and the beginning of 2003.

At the field and pond in Hilldrop Lane, Ramsbury, teams of up to 30 officers continue to painstakingly search the half-mile area in the hope of uncovering new evidence and leads that may move the case forward.

DCI Memory told a media gathering at the scene yesterday how he and a colleague had come by the discovery – Sian’s left New Look boot – moments before divers pulled the second boot from the water.

The 45-year-old, who joined Wiltshire Police in 1988, said: “We put ourselves in the mind of a killer.

“We had looked at lots of ponds and this one was not on the OS Map and it’s a good location.

“We were going to come back to it when my colleague saw something that looks slightly like a shoe bobbing in the water. We did a double take and we did not want to leave it and it disappear.

“We went to Ramsbury Fire Station and got a 10ft pole. Because I’m slightly taller I had to pick the boot out. I was leaning in past the point of no return and I was completely in my colleague’s grasp.”

Once the find had been recovered, more officers were mobilised and the road cordoned off.

Specialist cadaver dog units trained in finding bodies are on loan from South Wales Police, tasked with looking for any trace of human remains, while Avon and Somerset Police frogmen have already proved successful by finding the boots Sian O’Callaghan was wearing the night she was killed, as well as a shotgun.

DCI Memory said teams would be searching thoroughly to find everything they could and he could not rule out other bodies being found.

He said: “There will be 25 to 30 staff up at the scene most days – the dive team will be looking at another three days. “I have got a full Major Crime Team working on this most days and there is an incident room set up at Marlborough. “I cannot rule it out [that there may be more victims].

“I am open minded about what we might find here. We will be searching this area for a few more days, into late next week. "What I will say is that when we leave here, we will recover every piece of evidence we are physically able to do. “We have cadaver dogs searching the woodland for human remains.”